Increase In Planning Applications For UK Clean Energy Projects

As energy companies race to meet rising demand for clean electricity, the number of renewable energy projects applying for planning permission reached new heights in 2020 and is showing no signs of slowing.

According to government data by energy consultancy PX Group, there were 269 planning applications for new solar, bioenergy and wind projects,  up from 204 the year before.

This is 75% higher than the number of annual planning submissions made three years ago, and the biggest annual increase in recent years and .

In order to cut carbon emissions and reach the UK’s climate goals, there was a growing appetite among energy companies for new renewable projects

Financiers are offering increased support and view renewable energy as a lucrative investment, as clean energy developers green light more projects with the falling costs of technology.

“It goes without saying that as more of these projects get off the ground, the faster the UK can get to a point where clean, green sources provide an even greater share of the UK’s energy.

“Of course, there is a lag time between submitting plans to councils and projects becoming fully operational, so more projects being in the pipeline is not a quick fix.” said Geoff Holmes, the chief executive of PX Group.

As the government’s decision earlier this month to lift a block against subsidising onshore wind projects, planning submissions for clean energy projects are expected to rise in the coming years.

The government said that onshore wind developers will be allowed to compete for subsidies for solar power developments and floating offshore wind projects at auctions from next year.

Since the block was put in place by David Cameron in 2016 there has been a sharp decline in the number of emerging onshore windfarm projects, causing numerous warnings that the UK risked failing to meet its climate targets.